As Weir High entered the 2024 fall sports season, coaches looked for people they could count on to lead the team. Whether they were named a captain, or just a senior for younger players to look up to, these people can make or break a team and their season. It is important for younger or newer players and participants to know who they can rely on for advice, inspiration, or just a shoulder after a rough game or match. 

This year’s Red Rider sports teams have many captains and seniors who lead their teams. In a recent WSM survey, they each took a moment to share their experiences and reflections on the fall season so far… 

Boys Soccer  

The Boys soccer team is led by Alex Guio, Benjamin Howard, Maxwell Wood, and Angelo Figlioli, who are all seniors and all selected as a captain by their coach.  

Maxwell Wood said he is comfortable in his role as a leader because he knows his teammates and knows how to communicate with them. Wood feels that communication is one of the most important things for the team, as conflicts have lessened the team in the past. He goes on to say that there has been little to no conflict in his time as captain, and he helps with that by always having a welcoming atmosphere.  

Guio says that past players have taught him to keep morale up even when it’s rough. When asked about advice for younger players on the team, Guio said,” Some advice I could give is respect everyone on the team whether they are older or younger and don’t be afraid to give advice or say something.” Boys soccer ended their season in sectionals.  

They were runners up in the OVAC 4A championship against Beaver Local and had an overall record of 7-14. 

Cheer   

The Cheer team for Weir does not do captains but they are led by their three seniors, Alivia Torres, Lyla Soplinski, and Josafina Bennett. 

 Soplinski shared how it can feel to be a leader, she talks about how it can be a big responsibility since you must be a good role model and always be supportive. She went on to say how mistakes from someone in a leadership position may end up getting more backlash.  

Alivia Torres has been a part of the cheer squad since her freshman year. Torres says that everyone’s opinions matter, which is why when those opinions are more negative, she says the cheer team uses something a call a compliment sandwich. A compliment sandwich is when you say something good, follow with the bad, then end it with something good again. She then says if there is an issue that could raise a problem they sit down and talk about it. She states, “Fix the wrongs and do better.” Her advice for the underclassman is to respect everyone, stay humble, and work hard.  

They have regionals on November 9th! 

 Cross Country 

The runners of the school, cross country, are led by Naomi Young (senior), and David Defelice (senior). Cross country is a very individual driven sport although at the meets everyone’s results matter. 

Young says that she’s honored to be in the role that she is today, claiming she worked incredibly hard to achieve what she has and now she feels recognized for all the hard work. She goes on to mention that runners in the past have taught her to lead by example. She hopes that her hard work will make others work hard and she encourages everyone to be their best.  

When asked about advice to younger people hoping to lead the team David Defelice stated, “Don’t seek to be a leader just to be leader, or to have authority over others. Seek to just trying to get as good as you can at what you’re doing first and through that persistence, good attitude, and hard work, you’ll demonstrate good qualities that can be looked up to.”  

Cross Country is close to a fully finished season with Olivia Shetler and Naomi Young heading to states this upcoming weekend!  

Football  

The Weir High football team is led by all their current seniors as there are only six; Damir Mowder, John Davis, Noah McClain, Logan Dawson, Lucas McCallister, and Ben Howard. For gametime, they all switch out to be the official “captain”.  

When asked about how their season is going and their plan for the rest of the it, McCallister, who is the quarterback and safety, states,” Not the best, our team goals are to make playoffs and compete. We plan to do that by going back to basics and playing like we, all know how.” 

McCallister goes on to say how leaders last year gave him his work ethic and taught him how to “play the game”. Mowder, a wide receiver and also plays on the defensive side, mentions that he feels amazing about being a leader for the team and that he likes helping the younger kids.  

Mowder`s piece of advice to the younger players is to listen to the coaches and that they will lead you the right way. And the coach, Frank Sisinni`s advice to the younger players is, “To find a mentor that is an upperclassman and learn from them. I look for high character individuals for those roles. You can’t fake that!”  

Football has a game at Brooke this Friday and they play Herbert Hoover next Friday as their last game and senior night. 

Girls Soccer 

Weir High girls’ soccer has four set captains that they announce before the season. Giana Paladina, Lexie Fayak, Rayna Hoover, and Gabriella Spickard, who are all seniors, were given a captain band by their coach, Jeremy Angelo.  

According to Spickard, a defender, off the field chemistry is important so the team has a connection on the field. Which is why it is important to work out conflict. 

Lexie Fayak, who plays more offensive, states, “Resolve it as soon as you can before it bubbles up into a huge issue. Girls are girls so resolving it as quickly as you can is so beneficial. And as a team we are together every day for 6 to 7 months, so conflict is bound to happen.” Fayak then mentions that she appreciates getting the role for her team as not everyone gets this opportunity and how it feels good to represent the school and team in this way.  

Rayna Hoover, the goalie, advised younger players to always put max effort into everything they do and continuously try their best. 

The girls’ soccer team won the OVAC 4A tournament and won sectionals. They lost in Regionals.

Golf 

The golf team consists of boys and girls, and they are also a very young team. When the head golf coach, Steven Kettler, was asked for team leaders he named three people. For the boys, Isaiah Smith (junior), who is a three-year letterman and a good at leading by example and Guy Meneely, a sophomore, who stepped up to lead the team. For the girls, Kettler said they look up and listen to Kylie Dean, a senior.  

Meneely being the youngest “leader” of the team talked about how he is a competitive person and tries to rub that off on his teammates. He goes on to talk about the potential of the Weir golf team, saying how they are a very good yet young team so to him, he wants to motivate everyone he can to win and be their best.  

This is the first year that Weir has made a girls’ golf team so when asked Dean said that it added to the pressure on her to lead the team. When asked for advice for younger teammates she stated, “Always try to do your days best. Your days best will not always be your overall best. Another piece of advice is to just relax. I found when I stopped worrying about what score I may get I did much better than I anticipated. A third thing to keep in mind would also be that you always have something to learn, and that golf is a day-by-day game.”

The golf team is OVAC 4A runner-up champions and ended their season ended in regionals.  

Volleyball 

Volleyball does not choose captains, but selected by their coach, two players stick out to be “natural” leaders to the team. Janai Turner (senior), and Maleea Faulks (senior), both have played volleyball all four years of high school. 

Both stated that the teams’ main goal is to go down to the states. Faulks, who is an outside hitter for the team, says that she feels she is a leader for this team because she looks to help others and be a good inspiration to those around her. Both Leaders suggest that taking ownership is a big part to being a good role model for the team. They both have similar stances on how the team should deal with conflict, Faulks and Turner suggest that saying everything face to face and talking about how you feel, then moving on is the best way to prevent issues on the court.  

A quote from Turner, who’s a libero, when asked about advice for underclassmen, “Underclassmen that are wanting to play in college, start your exposure asap. Go to camps, play travel, work hard and stay humble! Also, get on recruiting apps and post your highlights, email coaches and make some calls.”

Volleyball is currently in regionals!